


Wishful thinking

by OliverWilde (OlianderWilde)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Post-War, Pre-Slash, holiday awkwardness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28450365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlianderWilde/pseuds/OliverWilde
Summary: "Together," Harry offered."Very well then," Draco accepted. "Together."
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59
Collections: H/D Mistletoe Exchange 2020





	1. Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CorinaLannister](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorinaLannister/gifts).



> Hi Corina!  
> Sorry, this was nothing like any of the prompts you sent in. I hope you like it anyway. I also have a couple of unfinished drawings of Draco trying to pet a horse that you're more than welcome to!  
> Also you're a dear. :P

> Harry dear, 
> 
> Please know we have saved you a seat at the table for Christmas. You are family, and as there always has been, there will be presents waiting for you under the tree.
> 
> Teddy, Andromeda, Lee, Narcissa, Draco, Severus, Luna, Xenophilius, Neville and Augusta will be joining us also. 
> 
> Do you have any ideas on what Draco or Andromeda may like on their jumpers? I am as lost as a flying gnome!
> 
> All the love, Molly.

> Hi Mrs. Weasley,
> 
> Thank you for your invitation, 
> 
> ~~I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome, I don’t understand how~~
> 
> just, thank you. 

There was a dark smudge where he had repeatedly vanished his self-doubt from the parchment.

> Last I saw Andromeda, she had said something about a love of muggle flowers. As for Malfoy, I think you might be better off asking Snape or Narcissa. He likes things that cost more money than they’re worth and~

_ And potions and Quidditch and messy foods even though he pretends he doesn’t, he likes birds and wine and walking around at night while no one else is awake. _

> ~ and maybe Quidditch.
> 
> Good luck, Harry.

  


* * *

  


Teddy had the most presents; he would have had a whole tree to himself, had they not had the extension charms. He was hardly interested in the presents themselves, instead laughing and giggling at the colours of the wrapping paper, changing his hair to match. 

Later, once all the presents were unwrapped, and everyone had donned their Weasley jumpers, they all sat talking, passing time until their lunch was ready.

Hermione and Snape were having quite an intense conversation about the correct ratios for making Pepper-up in large batches, Charlie was talking animatedly to Ron, Bill, Fleur, Percy and Ginny about his favourite dragons on the Reserve. 

George and Lee had their heads in close, whispering. Narcissa, Andromeda, Teddy, Luna, Neville, Augusta and Xenophilius were all on the pile of cushions in the corner laughing and reminiscing.

Malfoy sat alone by the window, staring out at the gathering snow. Harry had hardly gone more than a few minutes all day without glancing at him again. There was something odd, different about him today and Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Malfoy was wearing a Weasley jumper as everyone was. Harry's was red with a Golden Snitch, the same as his first. Malfoy's was green, with a white and silver finch; he wore it so that his white collar showed over the jumper, the too-long sleeves were rolled up to stop at his wrist. He always looked so proper. Handsome really.

Harry's thoughts stopped when he noticed Malfoy was staring back at him.

"Draco, darling," Narcissa called, "What year was it that you had that Gilderoy Lockhart fellow chasing after Cornish Pixies?"

Malfoy turned away from Harry and stood. "Second year. I believe Neville has quite a story to tell of that lesson, if you'll excuse me." He weaved his way around everyone and left. Harry didn't even wait a minute before following.

Malfoy was out the front door before Harry had even left the living room. Harry forewent his cloak in order to chase after him. He regretted it as soon as he took his first step out in the snow.

"What do you want, Potter? Come to see if I am up to something again?" Malfoy asked venomously. 

"Umm, no?" Harry didn't _think_ that was why he had followed him. He wasn't actually sure why he had. "I, uh, I just wanted to check you were okay."

"Right, well, I am perfectly fine, thank you. Now if you will excuse me." Malfoy trudged forward, stopping to sit where there was a bench by Mr. Weasley's shed.

Harry once again followed, melting the frost with his wand, and casting a couple of warming charms for good measure.

"What do you  _ want, _ Potter? Seriously, won't you leave me alone for two seconds!?" 

"No. What's wrong?" Harry sat down.

"Why do you care? You don't want me here. No one does."

"What are you on about? Of course, we want you here. Why else would you have been invited?"

"You have spent the whole night staring at me like you think I am about to steal something any second. I was only even invited because Andromeda wants to reconnect with my mother for the sake of Edward."

"Well, that's just not tru-"

"I don't even know how to do Christmas. Everyone seems so happy, and I don't understand it. And these stupid jumpers! They're so warm and ridiculous and I had to go cry in the bathroom I have never gotten a better gift in my life! Do you understand how utterly pathetic that is?"

Harry just looked at him. He did understand, actually. All too well.

"And there you go looking at me again!"

"Right. Sorry, I didn't mean to… I just, I do understand. About the patheticness. I mean, not that it is pathetic. I- I am not explaining this well- uh." Harry took a deep breath. "My first Christmas present was a jumper Mrs Weasley knitted for me... This one actually, but smaller, obviously. Up until then all I had gotten for gifts were manky socks and used tissues. I don't think I had cried so much in my life that night. I barely knew her for more than a minute, but she spent time making something for me… I was beside myself. So I mean, yeah, I understand. A bit."

Draco looked thoroughly abashed, and Harry's stomach did a flip at how adorable he looked with reddened cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Don't be, it's over. Now nearly every Christmas I get to come here and be around people who love me, and it is warm and everyone is so kind. But, also I think everyone sort of knows to leave me be at the holidays. They don't abandon me or anything, they just know that if I want to join in that I will.

"That's maybe what they're doing for you too, letting you go at your own pace with all the, I don't know, people. They're used to it, and I think they probably realise that, like me, you're not."

"I don't really know how to do this. Christmas, with a big family, and a baby and hand-made gifts…" Draco gave an exasperated sigh and dropped his head onto the back of the bench so that Harry could see the long line of his neck. 

"We could do it together?" 

"Excuse me?"

"Christmas, together, we could go in together, and if you feel like you want to bow out, or leave just tell me, and we will go together. If you want to listen to Ginny and Ron argue about who is a better Seeker, then I'll make sure they don't hate too much on the Slytherin team."

Harry stood up with much more enthusiasm than he expected he could show in this cold of weather. "Together," Harry offered.

"Very well then," Draco accepted. "Together."


	2. Before

The eighth years didn’t have a curfew, not really. They were meant to be in their dorms at the same time as everyone else, but McGonagall had made it pretty clear that so long as they weren’t making a ‘ruckus’ they were free to roam as they liked. 

And Harry did.

Apparently, Draco did too, if his empty bed was anything to go by. 

He went to the Astronomy Tower most nights; the wind howled enough that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts, the ones that always made their way into his head late at night, at meals, in class, and every other five minutes he didn’t need to concentrate on anything.

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to cry, to scream, to fly all night or simply lay his head on the pavement and fall asleep. But instead he just jumped up and sat on the railing staring out at the Grounds as he always did.

“Woah.”

Harry whipped around. The flickering pain in his chest flamed from fear to embarrassment in only a second. "Draco!"

"Potter, you-you weren't going to jump were you?"

Harry looked back round to the darkness and suddenly caught what Draco meant. And with all the speed of a Firebolt, Harry slid back off the railing and onto the solid tiled floor of the Astronomy Tower.

“W-what are you even doing here?”

Nothing changed in Draco’s expression so Harry cast a shielding charm to block out the wind.

“Why are you here?” Harry repeated

“What were you doing?” Draco asked, 

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter. Did you follow me?”

Draco turned and sat down against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankle. “No.”

That embarrassment was slowly getting the better of him, and Harry thought it best to just leave. But then Draco pulled out a bar of chocolate and offered some to him.

"No, thanks," Harry said, instantly regretting it as Draco took a bite.

"Suit yourself."

Harry inwardly groaned and sat himself down next to him, snatching the block of chocolate and breaking a couple of squares off for himself.

They both sat there silently for a while, Harry's shielding charm making the howling wind sound soothing. 

“Why did you come back?” Draco asked from nowhere, breaking Harry's thoughts of the wind.

“What?”

“Well, you would have been more than welcome as an Auror; you don’t have to get your N.E.W.T.s for that. You could have travelled, gotten away, hid, even. You could have lived with Weasley’s family, bought your own home, done anything you ever wanted. So why suffer another year here?”

“I hadn’t thought about it, actually.”

Draco simply stared at him in that way that always seemed to say, ‘what an idiot.’ Harry used to take offence to that, though at this moment, he simply couldn’t bring himself to. 

“I didn’t. I mean, I thought about being an Auror, obviously. Kingsley wrote me more than one letter detailing the process and setting up appointments, but I just couldn’t. I’m not sure why, and the only other option I knew of was Hogwarts. I know it sounds cheesy, but this is my home. It-“

“That’s not cheesy,” Draco interrupted, then in Harry’s silence, continued, “Hogwarts, I always hated it when I was younger, but then, well, you have some idea of how things changed. This place became my haven. I wasn’t exactly immune to- certainly not last year, but it was better than the Manor anyway. So… Not cheesy.”

Harry wasn’t sure what to say to that, but in the end, he didn’t have to.

“I hoped you’d win, for whatever it is worth. I know a lot of people are saying that  _ now _ , but I mean it.”

“Yeah, I think I figured that one out actually, I know I can be a bit dense, but-“

“Before the battle I meant. Before last year, before Dumbledore, and before you nearly killed me in that bathroom.”

“Before that time you kicked my nose in on the train?”

“Not quite that far back.” They both sat silently. Harry looked up to see Draco smiling, ever so slightly smug. Harry laughed. 

So did Draco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⛄ This work is part of the H/D Mistletoe winter gift exchange. If you enjoyed it, spread the love by leaving the author a kudos and a comment, and consider reblogging the fest tumblr post [here. ](https://gwbexchange.tumblr.com/post/640862153653501952/wishful-thinking-author-anonymous-for)❄️


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